Pursuing the heart of your stepchild

Are you about to embark on the journey of starting a blended family? Maybe you’re becoming a stepparent and you aren’t sure what to do next.

Ron Deal of FamilyLife Blended shares what it looks like to persistently pursue the heart of your stepchild.

“One of the things we know about God that makes us feel so good is how much He loves and desires relationship with us. At the heart of the Gospel is a message about a God who has been pursuing us throughout all of history. He wants to capture my heart and for me to find Him.”

When we really begin to understand that God loves us and wants relationship with us, we glow on the inside.

“Why? Because you feel desired. You feel wanted and you realize the magnitude of that.”

The best way to pursue your stepchild is to show this same love and desire towards them.

“When a stepparent communicates with words and actions to a stepchild, ‘I really want to know you, I really like you, I really want a relationship with you,’ it makes the child feel desired and wanted. I think stepparents who are successful persistently pursue the heart of the child through action, time, and energy.”

Ron says it’s easy for stepparents to be motivated in the beginning of a relationship, but it’s often hard to maintain the desire to build a relationship, especially if they encounter resistance.

“Kids can vary greatly when it comes to how much they want a relationship with a stepparent. If a highly motivated stepparent is pursuing a relationship with a stepchild who has little motivation, that’s a frustrating situation.”

While it’s tempting to quit, Ron says the stepparents who persevere, often end up with the reward of a thriving relationship down the road.

“They are stubborn in their pursuit of the child, just like God is stubborn in His pursuit of us.”

If you don’t have a stepchild in your life these same principles of pursuing the hearts of those you love can be applied to any relationship. Today, take time to build relationships with those closest to you by intentionally pursuing their heart.